Read Leveling The Field (Gamers #4) for Free Online Page B

Although attempting to photograph Ethan Talley was a little like dealing with a pissed-off lion.
    Stop thinking about him and that damn coat closet.
    She plastered on a smile and took the wine glass from her mom, who shot her a look. Lissa turned away quickly before her mom saw her fake smile and called her on it.
    “What’s going on?”
    Oh shit, too late. Moms.
    Lissa took a gulp of her wine and turned back around to see all three family members staring at her. “What?”
    Angel cocked his head. “You kinda went somewhere for a minute.”
    “Yeah, I did. In my own head.”
    “Wanna share?”
    “No, I do not. It’s nice and private in there.” She huffed. “We live together, and you never knock on my bedroom door. I’m not letting you in my head, too.”
    Angel opened his mouth to backtalk, she was sure, but Lissa’s mother interrupted. “Enough. Both of you. How you live together is a mystery to me.”
    “We grew up together. We’re related. Brother and sister.” Angel took a sip of his beer then grinned innocently.
    His mom smacked him. “All of you, leave. I need to finish getting dinner ready.”
    “Need help?” Lissa asked.
    Her mom answered her by shooing her out of the kitchen.
    Lissa, Angel, and their father retreated to the living room, where they watched baseball and devoured the cheese tray.
    Her father watched her over the rim of his glasses. Carl Kingsman was a serious man, in sharp contrast to their loud, gregarious mother. And after Rona’s death, he smiled even less. The absence of laugh lines around his mouth hurt Lissa’s heart.
    “Have you formed the committee to review the scholarship applications?”
    That was her dad. He worried about the details. While Lissa had her head in the clouds, daydreaming about the photos and the project, her father kept her on task regarding the business side of her project. “Yeah, some of Lissa’s grad school friends, as well as some professors from her alma mater.”
    Her father nodded. “Good. Rona would be pleased.”
    Lissa picked at a rip in her jeans. She hoped so. Growing up as a black American, it’d been evident to them from the very beginning that they had to work extra hard to have less than what someone with lighter skin would have. Rona had been determined to be the best lawyer she could be, to fight for those who didn’t have anyone else fighting for them. She was proud of her skin, her heritage, and everything that she’d worked for.
    After talking with her family, Lissa decided supporting young women like Rona, with the same ambitions, would be the best way to honor her sister. She wanted Rona to be remembered for how she’d lived, not how she’d died.
    But no matter how hard she tried, it was nearly impossible to sum up Rona’s life. Lissa couldn’t show everyone the red stain on her bedroom carpet, where they’d spilled nail polish at night when they were supposed to be sleeping. She couldn’t point to the corner of the basement, where Rona would model dress-up clothes, and Lissa found her love of photography by taking pictures of her. She couldn’t recreate Rona’s laugh—which was sometimes hyena-like.
    So this project was the only way she knew how, and it’d been her sole focus during the last year.
    Lissa looked up when her father spoke again, but this time, his attention was on Angel. “And how’s work?”
    Angel was a manager at the Foot Locker in the mall, which was great, since he never wore the same shoes twice. He said he loved retail, but Lissa knew he had dreams of opening up his own restaurant. He tried to say cooking was just a hobby, but Lissa wasn’t buying it.
    Angel picked at his beer label. “Good. I hired a new assistant, and she’s working out really well. In fact”—he grinned—“I think she might take my job if I’m not careful. Gotta step up my game.”
    Their father looked like he was going to ask more questions, but then he just nodded. “Well then, step it up.”
    Angel looked at